The demand for systems that use a variety of devices at a location to monitor a variety of conditions, such as monitoring homes and businesses for alarm conditions, allowing users to centrally control various devices (such as thermostats, switches, cameras, appliances, etc.), monitor medical conditions, and the like has continued to grow as more home and business owners seek better control over their premises and to protect it from various hazards and threats. Such hazards and threats include intrusion, fire, carbon monoxide and flooding, among others dangers that may be monitored and reported to a monitoring station.
Conventional systems typically employ a control panel and/or gateway that receive “event” (such as triggering alarms) and other information from various sensors and devices, and is used to operate them. This may be done locally by the user, or remotely via a monitoring center. In the case of alarm events, the monitoring center can also take appropriate action, such as notifying emergency responders. Installation and servicing complexity associated with these systems tends to be high, as an installer has to physically position, mount, and configure the control panel and all of the various sensors, while taking into account a variety of performance characteristics and requirements for each device to ensure proper operation of the system. These systems also typically incorporate a manufacturer's specific technology designed for the manufacturer's security application, and only certain devices may only appropriately interoperate with other devices in certain ways. This is true as well for more recent all-in-one (AIO) security systems, in which the control panel and a user interface (such as a keypad) are combined in a single unit, even portable AIO systems where the control panel may be relocated around the premises and not permanently installed. For example, such units may sit on top of a table or on the floor, but nevertheless communicates with life safety sensors in a similar manner as a wall-mounted security panel.
Both conventional Home security and automation (HS&A) and AIO systems still typically require a customer to select a specific security system package without really knowing all of the technical factors involved to best ensure that a specific system meets the customer needs for a specific location. For example, the customer may selects the “best” security system package that includes more sensors than other packages but the customer does so without knowing whether or not the extra sensors will further improve the operation of the system at a specific premises.
HS&A systems are thus often selected based on number of features and capabilities (i.e., “good,” “better,” “best) without much information as to the optimal system configuration that meets the customer's needs for a particular location. In some cases, the “best” or highest price package may be beyond the customer's specific needs, while in other “base” system package, may not fully meet the customer's needs at that location.
Furthermore, the installation location of the sensors is typically left to the individual installer such that different installers may recommend or install sensors in different locations for the same premises. For example, one installer may place sensors in different locations than another installer such that security system performance will vary for that location. The customer has little way of knowing if the installed security system efficiently maximizes system operation.